Omaha daily bee., 1887-06-09

derfu success. They then returned to
New York and performed ut the OLD
Welch Il Mann's circus company.
EXPORTING THE FUS-MAKER5.
"Having now fairly introduced their
novelty, and expecting every day to meet
with opposition here in fenkoelandd,
they determined on trip to England,
where all idea of rivalry was out OF the
question. for a time at least. Accord.
their head, they Immediately smoarked
for Europe. They arrived In Europe on
May 81 and gave two entertainments AT
the Concert rooms, Concert street, Liver
pool From thence they proceeded to
the Adelphi theater, London, at which
place they performed six weeks in con-
nection with Professor Anderson, the
great wizard Of the yprla north
htsr AfS.m this ., MT k'hrns Tna
remainder organized in connection with
Joo Sweeney, who had just arrived in the
country, and in this way they. travelled
through ireland and Scotland for six
months with success. The company then
disbanded and Whitlock returned to
America. The others soon followed him,
with the exception of Pelham, who re.
maincd in England up to his death. in
October, 1876. Another company ar
rived in Europe from Boston, known as
the Ring and Parker minstrels.' They
performed in Liverpool and Boston while
the Virginia minstrels were playing in
London.
One of the members of the company
personated the character of Lucy Long,
which evidently must have been original
with them. The rival party afterward
rSn ,.l . bo ~ vrirv thnutpn
London. They arrived IN Liverpool in
three or four weeks after the Virginia
minstrels. On the return of the Virginia
minstrels to America they found, as they
had anticipated minstrel companies in
abundance all over the country. Band
after band was organized almost every
day with various titles, and many OF them
passed es., away almost as suddenly as an
April shower. vast Improvement, how.
ever, had been made in the minstrel
business Notwithstanding its short exist
ence.
BIRTH OF THE COLoRED sERENADERS.
'Dumbleton's Ethiopian serenaders
was probably one of the most unique or
ganizations among the first bands. They
started in the spring of ls43, and con.
sisted of Frank Germon, tambo. George
Harrington. banjo: Moody Stanwood, nc.
Gordon, and Gilbert w. Pell. bones. This
band played in Baltimore in 1874. They
also played IN Washington before Presi-
dent Tyler and cabinet, and then went
down to New Orleans. They returned to
New York in the spring of 1916, and
shortly after went to England, where they
played before S, i the queen and royal fa fam n;
the nobility at Arundel castle by com.
mand of the queen. This party returned
in 1S4S and opened at Palmo's opera
house, October 4, of that year. After
playing thirteen weeks they disbanded.
Pell took Juba, the real negro dancer
(perhaps the best and Tom Briggs, the
great banjoist of that time, and returned
to England with them the same year.
All of this party arc now dead. 1t was
this band who first introduced black coat
and pants and white vests for the intro
ductory performance. The Dumbleton
party W hile in England played at the st.
James theatre for one year and eight
| months.
THE AUTHOR OF OLD DAN TUCKER.
Among the great banjo players and
one of the original starters OF negro
mnstrelsy was Daniel ID. Emmett, who
has done good work for the minstrel
| fraternity, perhaps more genuine musi-
cal nlggerisms than any other man.
Uncle Dan, as he is Familiarity called,
was born in Mount Vernon, o., October
| 90, 1916, and has consequently passed
his three score and ten: While with the
Bryants minstrels in New York city, he
wrote these peculiar airs: Root Hog or
De- 'Boatman Dance High Daddy
'Oid Dan Tucker, Dandy, Jim,, The
'Dlxie's Land Early IN de Morning.
Over dc Mountain together with a
wonderful collection Of walk-around
dances. Some have asserted that Joe
Sweeney, native of Louisville, KY,
was about the first to make the banjo
famous as an accessory to negro comicali.
| ties. am sure he was among the early
ones. Earl Pierce, Tom Briggs, Dave
Lull, Tom Vaughn. Frank Stanton, Billy
keenan,, all folrlshed successfully shortly
after"